Eighty-six middle school students from Boston, Cambridge, and Lawrence, Mass., began the 2014 STEM Summer Institute on Wednesday, July 2. During the five-week program, they took courses ranging from algebra to robotics, attended seminars by leaders in science and engineering, and toured MIT labs.

Algebra instructors Stephanie Kilponen and Lois Moon create fraction flashcards for their level one students. STEM Program students were divided into four levels based on the grades they will enter in the fall, and each level is further divided into two courses. Level-one students, who are rising sixth graders, studied biology and algebra.

Clyde Jefferson and his mother flip through the family handbook during orientation on Wednesday, July 2 in the Ray and Maria Stata Center at MIT. During the orientation, families prepared for the program and met the instructors and staff.

Level-four student Luis Franco (center) test drives his final robotics project at the 2014 STEM Sumer Institute Final Ceremony as level one student Kevin Matos (second from left) and other STEM Program family members look on.

Lead Academic Advisor Catherine Park (right) introduces level-two student Rhocar Constant before his speech at the 2014 STEM Summer Institute Final Ceremony. Each level elected a student speaker to represent their class to tell family members and friends about their experience with the STEM Program this summer.

A primary goal of the program — which is offered free of charge due to generous support from individuals, foundations, corporations, and MIT — is to empower local students with the skills and confidence needed for future success in technical careers.

Probability and Statistics Instructor Mia Bernardino, a civil engineering major at Seattle University, values the STEM Program’s focus on students from underrepresented and underserved backgrounds. “I really want to inspire minority students to work in the STEM field,” she says. “There are not many women in the civil engineering field, or engineering in general. I want to be an example for other young women, to show that they can be like me one day and teach others.”